Baker tells Chamber of Commerce state has lost 'sense of purpose'

At a Thursday breakfast at Lombardo's in Randolph, the GOP gubernatorial candidate also slammed the state's botched health insurance web site, saying “Shame on the Commonwealth.”

Lane Lambert The Patriot Ledger @llambert_ledger

Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker was in full campaign form Thursday morning, telling the South Shore Chamber of Commerce that the state needs “a sense of purpose,” including a renewed focus on job creation.

Five days after the former Harvard Pilgrim Health Care executive was nominated at the Massachusetts GOP convention, Baker told a Chamber breakfast gathering at Lombardo’s in Randolph that “we get distracted and take too long” to push ahead on economic development.

Baker – who lost to Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick in 2010 – never mentioned Patrick by name. But his comments to a full room of business owners, managers and entrepreneurs amounted to a report card on the Patrick administration’s two terms.

His sharpest criticism was aimed at the state Health Connector’s botched insurance exchange web site, which may be fixed until 2015 and has left thousands of residents without permanent coverage.

Responding to WCVB-TV reporter Janet Wu, who moderated audience questions, Baker first said “there’s more than enough blame to go around” between the state and former web site contractor CGI.

Then he said “I’m mystified” that the state went ahead and launched the site, despite knowing the site was flawed.

Finally he said, “The big problem is that the Commonwealth knew it wasn’t going to work ... so thousands of families are in health care limbo.

“Shame on the Commonwealth,” he said. “Is that clear enough?”

In other comments, Baker said the state’s health care system should be transparent, “so we know the cost of everything” among hospitals and providers.

He said he favors a higher state minimum wage close to the $10.50 an hour that’s been proposed on a ballot question and in the Legislature. But the said it shouldn’t be indexed for inflation, and should be combined with a small business tax credit, to offset higher payroll costs.